Reviews

Great music from the North

This is not one of those ghastly compilations of excerpts of things ("Zelenka for Zombies"), but a program of two major works, from the same decade of Sibelius' life. The violin concerto was soloist Pekka Kuusisto's first recording; the young prize-winner takes longer than Heifetz or Shaham, but he never seems to be dawdling. More than 100 years after its first performance, the Second Symphony remains one of the composer's most popular pieces, and Segerstam and the Helsinki Philharmonic bring out all the drama of this theatrical music. The recordings are about a dozen years old, but the sound is clean and detailed. While this may not truly be the "absolute" Sibelius of the title--how could any one CD be?--it's an excellent choice as an initial listen to the work of the Finnish giant.
Submitted on 03/05/10 by Jim D.